This web site supports Dr. Russell Sabella's work on educating children, parents, educators and other stake holders about the responsible use of technology. Included in these pages you will find helpful resources, lesson plans, links, and more.

Study: 'Kids are Alright' when it comes to privacy | Safe and Secure - CNET News: "A study commissioned by Truste paints a pretty optimistic picture about how teenagers are using privacy tools on Facebook and other social networking sites. The study, entitled 'The Kids are Alright,' (PDF) reports that '80 percent of parents and 78 percent of teens feel in control of their personal information on social networking sites' and that '84 percent of parents are confident their teen is responsible with personal information on a social networking site.'"

Viruses come to life in cyberbully site: "CureTheBullies will mobilise kids to take a stand, not because a teacher or parent tells them to, but because they understand that bullying and bystander behaviours are potentially in everyone - but they can be changed."

Saturday, October 9, 2010

"Time to check in on the college that banned social media for a week. How did the campus fare?

We recently told you about Harrisburg University, which blocked social media from its campus servers as an experiment to see how much students rely on it. The results are coming in – with some surprising reactions."

This is a more advanced look at Facebook's new privacy settings showing how to: create a highly customized environment. Remove or control applications, show or block specific content to specific people, create lists or groups that can see specific content, limit access to specific posts, photos and media.

Net Cetera - OnGuard Online: "The internet offers a world of opportunities to socialize and communicate. But they come with risks. OnGuardOnline.gov's Net Cetera campaign provides information and resources about helping kids make safe, responsible decisions when they're online. The campaign includes:"

Dating Matters:
Understanding Teen Dating Violence Prevention is a 60-minute, web-based
training designed to help educators, youth-serving organizations, and others
working with teens understand the risk factors and warning signs associated
with teen dating violence. It is developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in
partnership with Liz Claiborne Inc.

Consider the extent to which
cyberbullying is interfering with students’ educational process and base
guidance curriculum and intervention programming for this pervasive and
potentially dangerous problem on research-based and best practices. p. 3

Many of you have seen the distressing headlines. In recent weeks, a New
Jersey college student died by suicide after a video of him was posted
online. Other reports state that at least three younger teens in
Indiana and California took their lives after being subjected to ongoing
harassment for being gay, or being perceived as being gay. In response,
some of the messages have inadvertently misstated what is known about
the links between bullying and suicide, and sexual orientation and
suicide. Some news media have included *facts* such as: *LGBT youth are
4 times more likely to commit suicide*. Other articles and press
releases imply that suicide is a *normal* or expected response to
anti-gay bullying.

You may be involved in efforts to address these tragedies, or in a
position to be contacted by news media for commentary and information on
suicidal behavior among GLBT youth. We wanted to remind you of several
resources that may be helpful to you:

At-a-glance: Safe Reporting on Suicide.
http://www.sprc.org/library/at_a_glance.pdf (
http://library.sprc.org/getitem.php?id=257&res=url ) Often
confused with the above document, this consensus document provides
recommendations for news media. It is currently in the process of being
revised and updated but until the revised version is available, please
use this one. We provide it every time we are in contact with a reporter
or editor. It is only two pages long and they do read it.

Suicide risk and prevention for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender
youth
http://www.sprc.org/library/SPRC_LGBT_Youth.pdf (
http://library.sprc.org/getitem.php?id=618&res=url )
This 2008 publication addresses the special concerns related to suicide
prevention among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth.
It summarizes the current state of knowledge about suicidality in this
population, and outlines twenty-one recommendations for helping to
reduce suicidal behavior among LGBT youth. As the introduction states:
*For several reasons, little can be said with certainty about suicide
deaths among LGB people. Most mortality data do not include sexual
orientation. However, based on the higher rate of suicide attempts among
LGB youth and the relative seriousness of their suicide attempts, it is
likely that LGB youth experience higher rates of suicide deaths than
their non-LGB peers. While limited information is available on suicidal
behavior among transgender youth, it is plausible to hypothesize that
transgender youth, in common with LGB youth, have elevated risk and
lower protective factors and higher rates of suicidal behavior.*

Finally, if you are reaching out to news media, you may find this
guide, created for SPRC by SPAN USA a few years back, helpful:

Guide to engaging the media in suicide prevention
http://www.sprc.org/library/media_guide.pdf (
http://library.sprc.org/getitem.php?id=287&res=url )
This 44-page guide teaches you how to serve as an effective media
spokesperson and how to generate media coverage to create awareness of
suicide prevention. The publication describes how to use television,
radio, and print media and provides examples of pres
s releases, media
advisories, pitch letters, op-eds and more. It also gives tips for
identifying appropriate media outlets, creating up-to-date media lists,
and tracking your results.
Please use this list to discuss your successes and challengeswith your
colleagues. As always, we encourage you to contact us if you need
assistance.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

A new study from the insurance industry finds texting while driving laws have had no immediate benefit in reducing crashes. The study looked at crash data from four states with texting bans. It found that in three of the states -- California, Louisiana and Minnesota -- crashes actually increased.

Rosalind Wiseman | creating cultures of dignity: "Rosalind Wiseman’s Girl World Tour, presented by Dove go fresh, is back on the road this fall! Catch her as she brings moms and daughters together for an evening of discussion and laughter in 8 more cities across the US! Visit the Girl World Tour page in the ‘Programs’ section for more details!"

National Center for Bullying Prevention: "This year marks the fifth anniversary of PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Month that unites communities nationwide to raise awareness of bullying prevention. Traditionally held the first week in October, the event has been expanded to include activities, education, and awareness building for the entire month."